They may not have been the numbers that Holyrood ministers would have wanted to publish, but, according to official statistics released this week, around a third of primary pupils are not reaching the expected literacy level for their age and stage.

The figures - which are based on teacher assessments of their pupils’ abilities - show that 71 per cent of primary pupils were believed to be performing at the standard of literacy expected under Curriculum for Excellence (CfE).

However, that proportion dropped to as low as 59 per cent for the most deprived children in P7, the last year of primary school. Writing was the area that primary pupils, who are assessed at P1, P4, and P7, struggled with the most, with 74 per cent overall reaching the expected level.

By contrast 85 per cent were working at the expected level when it came to listening and talking.

For numeracy, 78 per cent of primary pupils were achieving the expected level, with those in P7 struggling the most. 

A quarter of pupils at this stage were deemed to be not performing as well as they should have been.

The figures have remained broadly similar to last year’s. However, the Scottish government highlighted that there had been some modest improvement, with education secretary John Swinney “encouraged” to see an increased proportion of primary pupils
- “by up to four percentage points” - assessed as achieving the expected levels of CfE.

The proportion of P7 children hitting the expected level for writing rose from 69 per cent last year to 73 per cent this year.